


Little Lotte

by mystrangedarkson



Series: Sanders Sides Ficlets [7]
Category: Sanders Sides, Sanders Sides (Video Blogging RPF) - Fandom, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Childhood Friends, Food Critic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 13:58:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14021769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystrangedarkson/pseuds/mystrangedarkson
Summary: There's a new hot restaurant in town, and Logan is the biggest food critic in the city.





	Little Lotte

Logan wasn’t nervous. He didn’t _get_ nervous. He was the most respected (and feared) food critic in Oregon. He could make or break restaurants with a single review. But this restaurant was different. This _chef_ was different.

Roman Prince was the rising star of the culinary world. Everyone knew the story- after finishing his studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, he worked his way through the ranks at Iron Chef Michael Symon’s flagship restaurant, Lola. He recently returned to Portland, his hometown, to open up his own restaurant, a barbecue take on New York City’s famous Stardust Diner, performers and all. One doesn’t work under Iron Chef Symon without mastering barbecue, and Roman was known for serving dishes as flamboyant as he is. But that’s not what was making Logan nervous- he’d reviewed many hot-shots before and wasn’t afraid to knock them down a peg or two.

He meticulously tied his tie, chastising himself. _It’s just another day on the job. No way he remembers you, you were 13 when he moved away. It’s been a decade and a half, and a whirlwind one for both of us, no matter how close you used to be or how much-_ Logan quickly shut that train of thought down and finished getting ready, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

-

“Breathe, Chef. Like we practiced. In for 4, hold 7, out for 8. Tonight is going to be perfect. You planned it, after all.”

“Thank you, Virge. You’re a lifesaver. I’ll pay you back later, maybe help you get with that waiter you’re head over heels for,” Roman said to his sous chef, his right hand man, with a wink, “name’s Patton, right? One of our best performers, too.”

“I- um- yes, but- er, thanks?” Virgil stuttered, blushing, before walking away to find something, _anything_ , else to do.

Roman chuckled to himself. _Poor boy has no idea Patton’s just as smitten. At least he knows Patton knows who he is. I wonder if Logan remembers- No. This isn’t some romcom, no matter how much we talked about what would happen after I had to tell him I was leaving. It was decades ago, and we both have jobs to do. Stay focused, Roman. He’s the final word in the Portland culinary scene, not the boy you loved before you knew what that meant._ He shook his head as if to clear out his thoughts, and went back to prepping for the night.

-

The food was perfect. Frankly, Logan would have been hard-pressed to find anything substantial to criticize. And suddenly it was time to meet the chef. Logan watched as Roman confidently walked toward his table.

“Phenomenally well done, chef, and welcome back to Portland.”

“It’s my pleasure to be back. I’ve missed it. Hopefully now that my restaurant is up and running, I can start rebuilding relationships I had to leave behind.”

“I’m sure you won’t have trouble there. Can’t imagine someone with your charisma and joie de vivre being easy to forget,” Logan replied, avoiding the eye contact Roman was searching for.

Roman’s reply was cut short by the start of the next performance. His two stars, Patton and Valerie, had been practicing “Point of No Return” from Phantom of the Opera for months, and were debuting it tonight. He couldn’t help but notice Logan’s eyes cloud over as he started saying something under his breath. Roman stepped closer to hear him, and his breathing stopped.

“- let her mind wander. Little Lotte thought: am I fonder of dolls, or of goblins, or shoes? Or of riddles or frocks?”

“Those picnics in the attic…” Roman added instinctually.

“Or of chocolates?” Logan couldn’t believe it. _He remembers!_

“Father playing the violin.”

“As we read to each other, dark stories of the North.”

“No- what I love best, Lotte said, is when I’m asleep in my bed, and the Angel of Music sings songs in my head.” Out of habit, Roman started singing at ‘Angel of Music’.

“The Angel of Music sings songs in my head.” In a harmony from long ago, they finished quietly together.

“R- Roman, you remember?” Logan broke the emotionally charged silence that had fallen.

“Lo, of course. You weren’t just my best friend, we had something… magical. Or was that all in my head?”

“Not at all, Ro. Let me take you out this weekend. Let’s catch up, get to know each other as we are now. Unless you’re in a relationship, which you probably are. You’ve always been magnif-” Roman cut Logan off with a brief, sweet kiss.

“No, I’m not seeing anyone. You know what? Forget this weekend. Let’s go get a drink and talk. My staff has a good handle on things here.”

“I’d like that very much,” Logan replied, blushing and adjusting his glasses.

No one noticed Virgil collecting on his bet with Thomas, one of the other sous chefs.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully I'll get back to a regular writing schedule soon- I really do love writing for you guys.


End file.
